Title:

New Hampshire Drug Threat Assessment

Publication Date: April 2001

Document ID: 2001-S0377NH-001

Archived on: January 1, 2006.
This document may contain
dated information. It remains available to provide
access to historical materials.

This report is a strategic assessment that addresses the status and outlook
of the drug threat in New Hampshire. Analytical judgment determined the
threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most
current quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand,
production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the
effects of a particular drug on abusers and society as a whole. While NDIC
sought to incorporate the latest available information, a time lag often
exists between collection and publication of data, particularly
demand-related data sets. NDIC anticipates that this drug threat assessment
will be useful to policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and treatment
providers at the federal, state, and local levels because it draws upon a
broad range of information sources to describe and analyze the drug threat
in New Hampshire.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome
at any time. Addressesare provided at the end of the page.

The availability and abuse of powdered and crack
cocaine constitute the primary drug threat in New Hampshire.
Throughout the state, powdered cocaine is readily available, and purity
levels are high. Prices have remained stable although they are high
compared to national averages. In addition, crack cocaine is moderately
available and is the drug most often associated with violent crime.
Massachusetts-based, Dominican criminal groups typically transport
powdered cocaine into the state and dominate its wholesale distribution.
These groups also convert powdered cocaine into crack. Intelligence
reports suggest that these criminal groups are moving into New Hampshire
in an effort to control the retail distribution of cocaine. To a lesser
extent, powdered cocaine is transported and distributed by users and
independent dealers, primarily Caucasians, who purchase the drug in
Massachusetts, transport it to New Hampshire, and then use it or sell it
to friends and associates.

Marijuana is the most widely available and frequently abused drug
in New Hampshire. Abuse of marijuana is common in the state, in part,
because many communities attach no stigma to its use. Users and
independent dealers cultivate marijuana indoors throughout the state and
outdoors in the northern areas of the state. In addition, Mexican drug
trafficking organizations based in California and the Southwest Border
area transport Mexico grown marijuana from the southwestern United States.
Mexican marijuana is also transported into the state by loosely organized
Caucasian groups who travel frequently to California and Arizona to
purchase marijuana. Finally, moderate amounts of marijuana are smuggled
into the United States across New Hampshire's 41-mile border with Canada.

Heroin abuse is increasing in New Hampshire. High purity, South
American heroin is available in the state. Most heroin users are young
adults who, because of the availability of high purity heroin, snort or,
to a much lesser extent, smoke the drug instead of injecting it.
Typically, users and independent dealers travel to distribution centers in
Massachusetts to obtain heroin from Dominican criminal groups. Less
frequently, these criminal groups transport heroin directly into New
Hampshire from distribution centers in Massachusetts, New York, and
Connecticut.

The threat presented by methamphetamine is still considered
minimal, although availability and abuse of the drug appear to be
increasing. Most of the methamphetamine available in New Hampshire is
produced in Mexico and is transported into the state by Mexican drug
trafficking organizations based in California and the Southwest Border
area of the United States. Outlaw motorcycle gangs and independent
dealers, primarily Caucasians, distribute the drug throughout the state.
Production of methamphetamine in New Hampshire is limited; however, the
easy access to precursor chemicals from Canada as well as the abundance of
isolated, rural areas where laboratories may go undetected may compel
criminal groups to establish more methamphetamine production operations in
New Hampshire.

The availability of MDMA in user quantities is increasing within
the state. The drug is popular especially among college students, who use
it mostly at dance parties known as raves. Law enforcement officials
report rave parties in Dover, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth.

Ketamine is diverted from legitimate sources, often veterinary
clinics. There have been no reports of illegal production of ketamine
within New Hampshire. The drug is
usually sold illegally in New Hampshire through networks of users and
their friends and associates; street sales are rare. Ketamine,
legitimately used as an animal tranquilizer, is produced in liquid,
powder, or pill form. In its liquid form, it can be injected intramuscularly or intravenously, but it also can be made into a tablet or
powder through evaporation.

LSD continues to grow in popularity, particularly among youth, and
is available in blotter form throughout New England; wholesale quantities
are occasionally available. Distributors sell LSD at the retail level in
pill, capsule, and liquid form. LSD is shipped into New Hampshire through
various package and mail delivery services from California. Users and
independent dealers most frequently distribute LSD.

The most commonly diverted pharmaceuticals throughout New
England remain the combination of prescription narcotics and
benzodiazepines. According to responses to the NDIC National Drug Threat
Survey 2000, diverted pharmaceuticals, especially Ritalin and Percocet,
are moderately available in New Hampshire.